Arsenal Shipka submachine gun

The Shipka submachine gun was named for the Battle of Shipka Pass in 1877, a famous episode in Bulgarian history. It was the first new SMG to appear in Bulgaria after the fall of the Soviet Union, and was designed in 1996 at Arsenal AD. The design of the Shipka is relatively basic. The bolt rides against two guide rods, an upper and lower. The upper rod carries the recoil spring and the bolt hangs over the barrel. It fires on an open-bolt, straight blowback action in a tubular receiver, with a concealed cocking slot on the left side. The Shipka uses a wireframe stock that folds over the receiver and hangs over the muzzle, similar to the Czech Vz.61 Skorpion. The lower receiver furniture is made from high-impact polymers.

The Shipka submachine gun was introduced in 1999. As of 2020, Arsenal AD still offers this submachine gun for sale. It is produced in both 9x19mm and 9x18mm, with the former taking 25-round magazines and the latter taking 32-round magazines (pictured).